Wheel of Fortune Contestant Loses $69,000 After Poor Letter Choice

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A Wheel of Fortune contestant from Iowa City, Iowa named Kendra Lenth lost out on winning an additional $69,000 in the show's bonus round after she chose the first four letters of the alphabet - A, B, C, and D - as her letters, which fans called a 'fatal flaw' that prevented her from solving the puzzle 'A Big Promotion'.

Why it matters

Wheel of Fortune is one of the most popular game shows on television, and contestants' strategic letter choices in the bonus round can make the difference between winning life-changing sums of money or going home empty-handed. Lenth's mistake highlights how even experienced contestants can sometimes fall victim to habits or patterns that lead to costly errors.

The details

Kendra Lenth, a sport driver from Iowa City, Iowa, was competing on Wheel of Fortune against two other contestants - Austin Barnhart from Elkhorn, Nebraska and Mary Banks from Chicago, Illinois. Lenth had a strong performance throughout the show, solving several puzzles correctly and earning a total of $29,650. In the bonus round, Lenth chose the category 'Event' and was given the standard R, S, T, L, N, and E letters. However, instead of selecting more strategic consonants, she chose the first four letters of the alphabet - A, B, C, and D. As the clock counted down, Lenth guessed 'A Big Graduation' and 'A Big Pronunciation,' but the actual puzzle was 'A Big Promotion,' which she was unable to solve. This mistake cost her an additional $40,000 prize, which would have given her a total of $69,650.

• The episode aired on February 23, 2026.